Boeing is readying its 787 Dreamliner for first test flight in the coming days, banking on the new fuel-efficient plane to sail above stiff market headwinds.

Boeing expects the much-delayed Dreamliner to have its maiden flight by June 30 on a schedule that puts delivery of the plane to first customer, All Nippon Airways (ANA), in the first quarter of 2010.

Nearly two years behind the initial schedule, the company has delayed the Dreamliner's first flight four times since launching the program in 2004 because of production problems.

The Chicago-based company announced on June 17 final assembly had begun on the first aircraft destined for ANA, which has ordered 50 Dreamliners. "This is a great day for the 787 team," Scott Fancher, vice president and general manager of the Dreamliner program, said. "In 2004, ANA demonstrated great faith in Boeing and the 787 by placing the largest launch order for any new airplane in Boeing history."

Boeing has built six Dreamliners that will be used in the flight-test program to assure the plane's safety for the company and for regulators, including the Federal Aviation Administration and foreign authorities, Marc Birtel, a Boeing spokesman, said.

Boeing says it has 865 orders from 56 airlines for the cutting-edge plane, claiming it is the "fastest-selling all-new jetliner in aviation history."

The 787 Dreamliner is the company's first new model in more than a decade and features 50% plastic composites, compared with 12% on its 777s, helping lower fuel consumption.

According to Boeing, the 787 will use 20% less fuel than similarly sized airplanes, reducing emissions by a similar amount.

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